


sweet clover

by kuroeko



Category: Inazuma Eleven, Inazuma Eleven: Ares no Tenbin, Inazuma Eleven: Orion no Kokuin
Genre: Food, M/M, inspired by some inaSD lines, its honestly an afufubu cafe date, rip inaSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27725636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroeko/pseuds/kuroeko
Summary: “I found a four-leaf clover while heading to school.Hehe, maybe something nice will happen today.”
Relationships: Afuro Terumi | Aphrodi/Fubuki Shirou, Hadeno Tetsu | Hades/Heruse Arisu | Perseus
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	sweet clover

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this all in a rush after reading the InaSD lines LOL - there's a few little references here and there to stuff Fubuki says in his lines! This is the first time I've written a fic in the Ares timeline. Dealing with an alive Atsuya is harder than I thought. One extra barrier for poor Aphrodi. 
> 
> Thank you [ Enkidudu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enkidudu) for beta!
> 
> Summary is from the translated InaSD lines! I didn't mean to upload this right on the date InaSD kicked the bucket but alas. I never played it since I can't play mobile games, but it was nice to get the new content!!

Spring had come to Hokkaido, and a cool wind blew along the open fields as two brothers walked the last stretch to school together. Nearly similar in looks, one sported a head of orange hair, while the other’s fluffy strands tended towards silver.

“Atsuya, be careful.” The ever cautious older brother warned his sibling as Atsuya began to veer off the dirt path towards some budding blades of grass. No snow was left along the paths here, as they were far enough into spring that nature was beginning to bloom all around them. 

“I’ll be fine, Shirou, you worry too much!” The younger brother callously replied, right as he slipped on a patch of mud and took a tumble downslope. 

“Atsuya!!” Fubuki really should’ve seen this coming, but luckily the slope was gentle and Atsuya looked no worse for the wear. A few new grass stains had appeared on the white cuffs of his school uniform, but his brother had landed neatly in a bed of clovers.

“Really, you should be more careful. What if you injure yourself, you won’t be able to play soccer!” Fretting over his brother, Fubuki knelt down to brush off some stray debris that had caught onto Atsuya’s uniform when he noticed an unusual clover in the light green patch. He reached down and carefully picked it, holding it up in the morning sunlight. 

“A four-leaf clover!” 

Four heart-shaped green petals fanned out from the thin stem held between his fingers. Lifting it up, Fubuki admired how it contrasted so nicely with the vast blue sky overhead. 

“Damn, I want one, too!” Atsuya began searching around to no avail, as the mass of green around him only served to turn up normal three-leafed clovers. 

“Maybe something nice will happen today,” Fubuki remarked with a smile as he held out a hand to help his brother up. “Let’s go, Atsuya, before we’re both late for school.” Carefully tucking the clover into his jacket pocket, he felt his brother grasp his hand and stand up. It was just a normal day in spring, but already a little special with the extra bit of luck now stored in his pocket. 

\---

“Captain, look at this one! Isn’t it cute?” 

Fubuki nearly jumped as a hot pink and white soccer ball was shoved in front of him. Looking up, he was faced with a smiling and hopeful-looking princess holding the unusual soccer ball. 

“Nae, that’s nice, but it’s not the same standard ball that we use so we can’t buy that for the team.” They’d come out as a team today to shop for some new equipment, as some items were beginning to get worn out. Most of the group was milling about the sports store, testing out some equipment that they didn’t normally have or just admiring items in general. Truthfully, only he was really making a serious effort to shop for the team. 

“Aw...well it’s cute, maybe I’ll get it for myself.” She replied, pouting her lips slightly and lifting up the ball in her hands. _If only there was a more pastel pink one,_ she thought to herself. _It would match my hair and be so cute!_

“I won’t stop you from doing that, but if you practice regularly with a different type of ball, it might have an effect on your performance during formal matches. Although, it might help you come up with a new hissatsu, too.” Fubuki smiled at the thought of that. There were so many possibilities to develop new hissatsus, and she was definitely the type to somehow make it work. 

“Hmph, that’s a thought, alright.” Atsuya came back from the aisle he’d disappeared into earlier, now holding a pack of golf balls. Fubuki decided to not ask what that was for, and started to tell Atsuya to put it back when a movement outside the windows they were next to caught his eye. Gold wisps of hair trailed through the air, just like what he’d seen when watching the Zeus match. Wisps of hair from-

“Oh my gosh, is that _Aphrodi?!_ ” Nae’s squeal interrupted his thoughts but converged on the same conclusion. _Aphrodi_ , of all people, was walking around the urban streets of Hokkaido in a brown shearling coat that looked way too warm for the season. Two of his teammates walked next to him, and Fubuki vaguely recognized them as Hades and Perseus. He remembered being slightly taken aback when he’d seen their names on their Eleven Licenses. 

“I think so? Those look like his teammates,” Fubuki started to reply, when red eyes suddenly met his gaze through the glass. Red eyes that widened in recognition, as Aphrodi got his teammates’ attention and headed over into the store to greet them. 

“Hello! Fubuki, right?” Aphrodi’s smile was so bright, Fubuki almost felt like he was going to tear up from seeing it. The fellow captain reached over and clasped his hand, an overly familiar movement, but he didn’t really mind….

“Ah yes, and, um, Aphrodi, right?” He tried to mirror the question, but failed spectacularly to sound remotely as cool. 

“The one and only! I’m so happy you remember me,” the unforgettable soccer player replied, tilting his head slightly as he took in the snow prince. They’d met briefly at times, in between match tournaments, or during that whole Orion thing. But this was the first time they’d met outside of the context of soccer, despite the fact that they were standing inside a sports equipment store right now. The Hakuren team had gathered round, curious as to what the commotion was about and slightly shocked that such a famous player had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. 

“What brings you here, to Hokkaido of all places?” Fubuki asked, rapidly trying to orient himself in this dreamlike situation. Aphrodi was still holding his hand, and it was growing uncomfortably warm. 

“Well, Zeus decided to take a school trip, and I’m actually here as a chaperone!” He gestured at the two boys still hovering next to him. “I’m taking care of Hades and Perseus here, or really more like getting in their way.” He laughed as Hades blushed next to him, and Perseus made a slight noise of indignation. 

“The rest of the group has spread out since this is our free day, and we decided to come here to buy some omiyage before we get back.” Aphrodi finished, nodding while he spoke. Seeing Fubuki here, right in front of him, had him trying something a bit bolder than normal. 

“But Fubuki, if you’re free, I’d love to be shown around here by a native.” 

Perseus looked over sharply, recognizing the fact that Aphrodi had only mentioned himself. If this was a chance to get their nosey captain off of their tail….

“I don’t know, I mean, I don’t get around too much-,” Fubuki started, when Nae suddenly clapped her hands, complete with a small jump.

“Oh! You know what we have here in Hokkaido that I’m pretty sure nowhere else has? That one really popular cafe! You should take Aphrodi there!” She pulled out her phone, rapidly typing on the sleek surface. Fubuki felt a buzz come from his phone pocket, just as Nae pocketed her phone again and grinned at him. 

“There! I’ve texted you the location, it’s perfect!” 

A princess indeed, she hadn’t even thought that he might _not_ want to go on a traipse with Aphrodi around Hokkaido. He was nowhere near mentally ready for _this_. 

“Look, why my brother, anyways.” Atsuya came in at the perfect timing, reaching over to try and pry Aphrodi’s hands off of Fubuki’s. “If you want someone to show you around, Nae’s probably got way more free time and recommendations.” 

“Well they’re both captains, I’m sure they have a lot they want to talk about. _Without_ the rest of the team bothering them.” Hades interjected, having also caught onto the possibility of spending some quality alone time with Perseus if they got rid of Aphrodi. Reaching over to politely push Atsuya’s hand off, he tried to make a case for his charismatic captain. 

“Yes that’s right! Captain stuff, now anyways, Fubuki, which direction should we go?” Aphrodi began to pull him away from the team towards the store exit, much to Fubuki’s distress. 

“W-wait, I don’t mind but...I’m here to help my team buy new equipment, I can’t just leave them alone!” He protested, trying to pull his hand out of Aphrodi’s grip. 

“Captain, it’ll be fine! You should have fun sometimes, too.” Matoro stepped forward, giving him a gentle push on the shoulders. It would be good for Fubuki to let loose for a bit, he’d been so stressed lately handling their team and prepping for the next round of matches. 

“But the money-.” He voiced his final worry, but the ever-so-helpful Nae waved her hand at him. 

“It’ll be fine! I’ll pay for it! I’ll just have my dad work it out with the club funding or whatever. You two have fun with captain stuff! The cafe is to the right, by the way.” She finished off her statement with a wink to Aphrodi, effectively sealing Fubuki’s fate. The last thing he saw before being dragged out the door was the look of disgust on Atsuya’s face, accompanied by looks of relief on Hades and Perseus’ faces. 

\---

The two of them walked together, hand in hand towards the cafe, following directions on Fubuki’s phone. It wasn’t simply “to the right” as Nae had said, but instead required them to cut around and through a couple other streets to get there. Fubuki glanced at their clasped hands, wondering when Aphrodi was going to finally let go now that he wasn’t about to just run off. The fellow captain seemed oblivious to his worries, though, as Aphrodi was looking around with curious eyes and humming slightly at the same time. Looking over at Fubuki, Aphrodi furrowed his brows slightly, then finally spoke again.

“Fubuki, if you actually don’t want to show me around, that’s fine. We’re not too far from your team yet so I can just go to the cafe by myself.” After his initial forcefulness had died off, Aphrodi was starting to realize that he’d completely steamrolled Fubuki’s opinions in his excitement. 

“Oh! No, I mean, I don’t mind, really.” Fubuki ducked his head slightly as he replied, hoping furiously that the heat on his cheeks was just from the springtime sun. “It was just a little unexpected to see you here, after all.” 

Aphrodi laughed in response, a beautiful sound that rang in his ears. He’d like to hear it more often, now that things weren’t as serious anymore and the threats from Orion were gone. Just as he was going to ask Aphrodi on his thoughts about the whole situation back then, a pink and white storefront appeared in the distance. Hearts were plastered all over the front, combined with cute bunny mascots that had themed merchandise piled at the windows. Fubuki felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, just as Aphrodi gasped and pointed at the hanging heart sign sticking out of the storefront’s wall.

“Oh! That’s the name of the cafe that girl told us about! I think that’s where we’re going, right, Fubuki?” Aphrodi looked over with curious eyes as Fubuki suppressed a sigh. Of _course_ Nae would love cafes like this. Overly cutesy, dripping with sweetness, probably a place only girls that wanted to take pretty pictures to share online would go. 

“Yes, that’s where Nae suggested.” Fubuki suddenly realized that Aphrodi had only referred to her as “that girl”. It wasn’t everyday that someone just dismissed the princess of his team like that, most boys were far too interested in getting to know her….

“But!” Fubuki hurriedly cut off his derailing train of thought. “We can just find somewhere else around here, if this cafe isn’t to your interest.” They were standing outside of it now, and a wooden signboard placed next to the door listed some of the notable menu items at this cafe. Aphrodi stared at it, carefully reading the menu and disregarding the copious amounts of hearts that had been drawn on as well. Fubuki looked around, nervous at just how in-your-face this establishment was. The rest of the shops on the street seemed drab compared to this display of organized cutesy chaos. 

“Ohhh, I’ve never seen these menu items before.” Aphrodi commented, squinting slightly to better read the descriptions. “It sounds really interesting! I don’t mind trying it.” Truly named after the god of love and beauty, Aphrodi didn’t seem to care about the overbearing, heart-stopping, shopfront at all. 

“I—well—.” How could Fubuki refuse someone who wanted to try something special in Hokkaido? Giving in, he could only nod as Aphrodi brightened up and reached over to pull open the cafe door. 

\---

They were the only boys in the cafe, all the tables around them full of chatting girls of all ages. Aphrodi seemed absolutely at home in the cloyingly cute interior and was playing with the lace doily on the table, not noticing the glances from all the tables around them. Paper bunnies and hearts spun in the air above them, larger versions of the garlands that draped across the walls of the room. Copious amounts of white lace covered every available surface, including the tablecloth and windows. Pink ribbons trailed all over the place, tied up in prim little bows or loosely hanging as decoration from bouquets strewn across the room. This place screamed romance, and Fubuki wanted to die. 

“Fubuki, look! They even put bunny cutouts on the doily!” Aphrodi held up the paper doily to show his companion, who seemed to be wilting away into a lace-covered chair. Hiding a laugh, he pulled out his phone and instead started taking pictures, sneaking a few of Fubuki as well. 

“That’s...nice.” Fubuki replied, trying to scrounge up some enthusiasm and failing miserably. Aphrodi burst into laughter at this reply, having tried his best to hold it back but couldn’t anymore. Tearing up slightly, he hurriedly waved his hand at a reddening Fubuki to try and absolve his companion of the blame.

“No, no, I’m sorry. It’s not you. I’m greatly enjoying this, actually, but I’ve never seen the prince of the snowfield so out of his element before.” Putting down the doily, he smiled across the table at Fubuki. “Why don’t both of us just relax and chat? I’m really just here as a normal person on a day off, and you as well.” 

“I…,” Fubuki could tell Aphrodi genuinely meant it, there was such honesty reflected in those eyes. “It’s just….” Glancing around at the romantic interior, he blushed again and stared at the dining ware on the table. Even the porcelain was custom made, glazed with pink bunnies and hearts that danced across the edge of the plate. 

“It just feels like a date situation,” he blurted out, finally understanding why he was suddenly so nervous next to what should be a normal fellow soccer player. He didn’t dare look up, unsure of what Aphrodi’s reaction might be. Would it be disgust? Did he make this entire outing turn awkward? How much longer until the waiter came back with their food?! 

“I wouldn’t mind that.” 

_Huh?!_ Fubuki looked up sharply at this reply and saw Aphrodi staring at the corner of the table, a light tint of red having appeared on his cheeks. Just as Fubuki was about to ask for a clarification, the waiter arrived with a beaming smile and two plates of desserts.

“Here you go! One Beary Berry Bunches and one Chick Chick Cherryyy~!” The enthusiastic waiter set down one plate in front of each of them, Fubuki both cursing her timing and trying to comprehend the sheer amount of food they now had. 

Apparently this cafe was known for their cube toast: a literal cube of brioche filled to the brim with smaller cubes of toast, fruits, cookies, and ice cream. All topped with a generous amount of syrup and sweet sauces. The twist on this decently common dessert, however, was that the ice cream scoops here were decorated to look like cute little animals. Aphrodi looked absolutely delighted, already taking photos of the two scoops of cherry ice cream he had that were shaped to look like perched chicks on his toast after the handiwork of some icing and wafers. Fubuki stared down at his own, the ice cream scoops emulating the head of a cute bear cub. Round wafers poked out to form its ears, and icing made it look like the bear was sleeping in a bed of berries that burst out from within the syrup-soaked toast. 

“Aw Fubuki, yours is so cute!! Can I take a photo of ours together? And maybe of us together, too.” The last bit was said so hurriedly, Fubuki almost missed it and had to unexpectedly smile and pose for a selfie together with Aphrodi at the end of the photo taking session. Seemingly satisfied with the photo reel for now, Aphrodi set down his phone and began to carefully dig into the slowly melting mountain of sweets. Fubuki began to do the same, decidedly starting on the ice cream as it was melting fastest. Shoving his spoon straight into the head of the bear, he heard Aphrodi gasp and he looked up sharply in response. 

“Fubuki...you’re a bear killer!” Aphrodi had started carefully working around the melting chicks, trying to preserve them as well as he could, despite drips of pink ice cream already pooling on his toast. Seeing Fubuki straight up murder the bear just living life in a bed of berries had him shocked. 

“What?!” Hearing this accusation, Fubuki couldn’t help it and began laughing. A light sound that caused Aphrodi to start laughing as well, both of them finally growing comfortable with one another. 

“Well look at your chicks, they’re melting! You should just put them out of their misery,” Fubuki countered with a smile, pointing his spoon at Aphrodi’s plate. One of the eyes had fallen off of a chick now, leaving it looking a little deranged. 

“I’ll protect them, thank you very much.” Aphrodi primly replied, picking up the chocolate eye with the tip of his spoon and sticking it back onto the melting scoop of ice cream. 

“From who, yourself?” Fubuki asked, a hint of mischief tugging at his lips.

“Yes, myself!” Aphrodi began to reply, when Fubuki’s spoon flashed and one of his chicks was left with only half a face. He gave a mortified gasp and stared at his table partner in shock.

“You!” 

“As someone who never plays as a defender, it sure shows.” Fubuki needled a frozen Aphrodi, licking cherry ice cream off of his spoon. Not knowing how to respond, Aphrodi simply pulled his plate closer and tried to place his glass of water in between them. 

“I thought you’d be more princely,” Aphrodi whined, causing Fubuki to laugh again. Glancing over in slight worry that he might’ve pushed the limits a bit too much, he caught the soft smile that was present on Aphrodi’s face. Relaxing, Fubuki settled in and began to eat, and after Aphrodi got over his ruffled feathers, conversation easily flowed between them. They talked about everything and nothing, the environment around them melting away as Fubuki became engrossed in the conversation. All too soon, his spoon hit an empty plate, and he looked down in surprise that he’d even managed to finish the whole thing. Aphrodi’s plate mirrored his, the spoon having been set down long ago.

“O-oh, we talked for so long, I didn’t even notice.” He placed down his spoon, not sure what to do now that his hands were free. 

“That’s alright, I wanted to talk.” Aphrodi replied with a smile, each one more genuine than the last. Noticing the waiter hovering in the distance, he gave her a slight wave of acknowledgement before beginning to dig around in his bag. Before Fubuki could even make a move, Aphrodi had already pulled out some cash and placed it in the money tray that was brought over. 

“Wait! My half, did you pay for it all?!” Fubuki grabbed at his wallet as the happy waiter left to finish their transaction. Aphrodi sat back in his chair, playing with the ends of his hair.

“Don’t worry about it, I made you spend your free time with me, after all.” 

“What-! I am worried about it, and it’s not like you forced me.” Fubuki ducked his head slightly as he spoke. “And I enjoyed it as well.” Aphrodi’s stopped winding strands of hair around his fingers, freezing slightly as he heard the last statement.

“Anyways, let me pay for my part!” The waiter dropped off their change and the receipt at that moment, which Aphrodi quickly confiscated into his bag. 

“No, no, really, don’t worry about it. And well...if you are that worried, then next time we meet, you can pay for the meal.” Aphrodi nervously smiled over at Fubuki, wondering if there _would_ be a next time. 

“Oh...well, I suppose that’ll do.” Fubuki got up, brushing off the front of his uniform to get off any lingering crumbs. They’d have to go back to the main shopping street, meet up with the rest of his team if they were still around...and then part with Aphrodi. The last part didn’t sit very well with him, but it wasn’t as if they lived in the same place. 

“Really? I mean, I can’t wait.” Aphrodi eagerly replied, following Fubuki as he got up from the table. “Oh wait, actually, I want to buy some souvenirs here….” Fubuki watched, baffled, as Aphrodi went up to the front and selected a couple keychains and plush from the shelves. He had mentioned wanting to buy omiyage, so maybe this was it….

\---

Surprisingly, most of his team was still around, having clustered at a taiyaki stand to eat and chat. Hades and Perseus seemed to have gotten along well with the players from Hakuren, as they were also eating taiyaki as well. Atsuya glared daggers at Aphrodi, while Nae squealed upon seeing the white and pink bag that now accompanied them. 

“How was it? It’s super popular, right? Also Captain, we’re done with shopping, but just wanted to show Hades and Perseus around as well.” Nae bounced around in front of him as the rest of the team came close to stare curiously at the cutesy bag. Definitely a Nae-style cafe, indeed. 

“It was nice,” Aphrodi answered for both of them, giving her a smile full of charm that had Fubuki’s heart fluttering slightly in confusion. “Fubuki and I had a good time, thank you for the recommendation.” He noticed how Hades and Perseus seemed to not have gotten any alone time since he had left, instead having gotten the entire curious Hakuren team tagging along with them instead. 

“But we should head back now to the meeting spot, it’s almost time for us to go.” He pulled out his phone, checking the time on the phone screen, before remembering something else. 

“Oh right, Fubuki, about our promise from earlier. If you don’t have my contact info, you can’t uphold it.” Aphrodi held out his phone and Fubuki stared at it before registering what was asked of him: his number. 

“Promise? Oh!” That he’d treat Aphrodi next time they went out for a meal together. Reaching out, he took the phone and input his contact information, then passed it back over. Aphrodi eagerly saved it, then immediately sent a greeting text to fully finish this exchange.

“Thanks Fubuki! Text me anytime, oh and here.” He fished into the gift bag, pulling out a small keychain. A translucent blue bunny was affixed to the end of a chain of crystalline hearts that ended in a keyring with a pink ribbon on it. Passing it over into Fubuki’s open hand, he patted it slightly before pulling out a matching one from within the bag. His keychain sported a yellow bunny, but everything else was the same.

“I got us matching keychains to commemorate this event! They just looked so cute, I couldn’t help it.” 

Normally, Fubuki would completely avoid anything like this, but for some reason the keychain was absolutely endearing to look at. Much like someone who was standing right across from him….

“Thanks Aphrodi,” he softly replied, “I’ll make sure to keep it safe.” Right as he said that, Aphrodi stepped forward and embraced him in a tight hug. The warmth left as quickly as it came, leaving Fubuki slightly stunned as he tried to process what had just happened.

“Then I’ll see you next time, Fubuki!” Aphrodi placed the keychain back into his gift bag, hesitating for a moment before turning to round up Hades and Perseus to begin heading back. A hurried round of goodbyes was exchanged, and before Fubuki could finish recomposing himself, Aphrodi had already waved his last goodbye before disappearing around the corner again. 

“Tch, finally, he’s gone.” Atsuya uncrossed his arms, then peered over at the keychain in Fubuki’s hand. “That’s so gaudy, I can’t believe he gave you that.” 

“What! That’s sooooooo cute,” Nae countered, pulling out her wallet and showing off the pink version of this keychain. Hers had two bunnies on it, though. Deluxe edition. 

“Let’s get organized and get back to school,” Fubuki quickly forced all other thoughts out of his head. They’d spent enough time milling about already, it was best to get everyone home now, quickly and safely.

\---

Night had fallen, and Fubuki finished up his last homework problem with a sigh of relief. Atsuya might ask for his help later, but for now he could relax for a little bit, free of school responsibilities. His school uniform jacket lay on his bed, and Fubuki got up to hang it over the door when his phone screen lit up. 

_Oh, it’s Aphrodi!_ The boy had made it back to their hotel, and was now sharing photos from today before he went to bed. At least that’s what the long text preceding the photos explained. Fubuki smiled as he scrolled through the different photos, some he’d noticed being taken, others surprising him. His fingers stopped at the last one, the one photo they’d taken together before starting on the desserts. He quickly tapped the download button in the corner, saving it to his personal photo album. One to keep, at least to glance at from time to time if the keychain hanging from his house keys wasn’t enough to remind him of this day. 

Sending a quick text of acknowledgement and thanks, Fubuki put down his phone and then went to clean up his uniform in preparation for tomorrow. As he unfolded his jacket, a four-leaf clover fell out of a pocket and onto the floor. He bent down and picked it up, admiring the little plant in the fluorescent light of his room.

_Maybe something nice will happen today._

Fubuki smiled, walking over to his bookshelf and pulling out one of his older books. Carefully taking a napkin, he pressed the four-leaf clover in between the pages and placed it back onto the bookshelf.

Something nice _had_ happened today. What a lucky little day. 

**Author's Note:**

> Just two boys going on a walk. Holdin' hands.
> 
> \---  
> Aphrodi spends that night alone in the hotel room staring at all the new photos of Fubuki he got that day while clutching his new bunny plush from the cafe. Perseus and Hades are sick of hearing him gush about Fubuki so he just has to gush to the plush now.  
> \---  
> I hope you enjoyed this~you can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kuroekoo)! See you in another fic!


End file.
